File-box.



E. R BREDEHOFT.

FILE BOX.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. 23, 1916.

Patented June 5, 1917..

3 SHEETS-SHEET l E. F. BREDEHOFT.

FILE BOX.

lwvucmon FILED OCT. 23, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

E. F- BREDEHOFT.

FILE BOX.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 23, 1916.

l a I I Patented June 5, 1917.

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EDWARD F. EBREDEHOFT, OF ST. LOUZS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO GEO.-D. BARNARD 86 I GQMPANY, A .CQRPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

FILE-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. June 5, 1917.

Application filed October 23, 1916. Serial No. 127,131.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD F. BREDE- HOFT, of the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in File-Boxes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyng drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a file box adapted to contain loose cards or sheets, such for example as account sheets forming part of the bookkeeping system of a bank. One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved means for connecting a closure to the receptacle containing the filed sheets. Another object is to produce a file box having a closure movable to expose the upper edges V at the top -rea-dily inspected.

of the file sheets and a side wall member movable to expose the side edges ofth'e sheets, thereby admitting light into the. box and side so that the sheets may be fined, one of said tiltable back members be ing adjustable to compensate for variations in the dimensions of the filed matter, and an adjustable follower adapted to engage the adjustable back member. The tiltable back members constitute inclined supporting elements for the filed sheets, as will be hereinafter described. a

With the,foregoing and other objects in view the invention comprises the novel construction, combination and arrangement .of

- parts hereinafter more'specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein is shown the preferred embodiment of theinvention; however, it is to be understood that the invention comprehends changes, variations and modifications which come within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

Figure I is a vertical section of a file box constructed in accordance with the invention. i

Fig. II is a plan view of the box, the closure being shown in section.

Fig. III is a transverse section, the upper portionof the closure being broken away.

Fig. 1V is a fragmentary section illustrat- A further object is to produce a file box having tiltable back members between which the filed sheets are con- Fig. V1 is a vertical section on line VI-VI, Fig. V.

Fig. VII is a view, partly in vertical cross section and partly in elevation of the connection between the file box and its closure.

A designates a receptacle adapted to receive the sheets or cards B. A closure C is adapted to overlie the filed sheets, as indicated by broken lines at the upper portion of Fig. I, and this closure may be shiftedto the open position shown by full lines in Figs. 1, II and III.

The means for connecting the closure to the receptacle A comprises a hinge device including a pair of hinge members 1 pivoted at 2 to the rear wall of the receptacle. Guide rods or bars 3, arranged within and fixed t0 the side wallsof the closure, are slidably mounted in tubular portions of the hinge members 1. These guide rods. 3 are arranged at a right angle to the axis of the hinges. WVhen the closure occupies the closed position, shown by broken lines in Fig. I, it may be lifted about the axis of the'hinge members 1 and then moved downwardly at an angle to said axis, so as to occupy the open position shown by full lines in Fig. I. It will be observed that the guide rods 3, slidably fitted to the hinge members 1, allow the closure tomove at a right angle to the axis of the hinge. YVhen the closure occupies its open position, it does not extend a very great distance from the rear "of the receptacle, and this is an advantage in a; large file box constructed in accordance with the invention. Furthermore, the closure is dropped to such an extent at the rear of the receptacle that it does not materially interfere with the admission of light to the filed sheets.

The front and rear walls of the receptacle are preferably provided with handles 4:, and a similar handle 5 is secured to the front of the closure.

A side wall member 6, extending approximately from one end of the receptacle to the other, is hinged at 7, and it may be dropped III to the position shown by dotted lines, so as to expose the side edges of the filed sheets. This provides for the admission of -light at one side of the receptacle so that the matter written or printed on the sheets may be easily inspected.

The means for securing the hinged Wall member 6 in its elevated position comprises a latch member 8 (Figs. II, V and VI) pivoted to the inner face of said wall member and adapted to overlap a fixed part 9 of the receptacle. A spring 10, surrounding the latch pivot, tends to retain the latch member 8 in its operative position, but said latch member may be easily turned on its pivot to unlock the hinged wall member. WVhen the closure C occupies its closed position, its lower edge overlaps the upper edge of the hinged wall member 6, so as to securely hold said wall member in its closed position.

F designates a follower having a pair of tubular arms 12 at its sides, said arms being slidably mounted on a pair of horizontal guide rods 13 at the opposite sides of the filed sheets. The follower F is adjustable along the guide rods 13. The means for securing the follower comprises a pair detents 14: (Figs. II and IV) pivoted at 15 to the follower and provided with cam faces adapted to engage the guide rods 13. .Pull rods 16 connect the detents 14: to operating members 16, the latter being movable toward each other to disengage the pivoted detents from the guide rods 13. 18 designates compression springs for forcing the pivoted detents into engagement with the guide rods 13.

The filed sheets are arranged between tiltable back members 19 and 20 (Figs. I, II and III said back members being preferably made of sheet metal or other suitable material. The 'tiltable back member 19 is fastened to the bottom wall of the receptacle by means of hinges 21 (Fig. I), and it is free to swing from the inclined position shown by full lines in Fig. I to the substantially vertical position shown by dotted lines. A filler 22 (Figs. I and II) hinged to the front wall at 23, is adapted to occupy the elevated position shown by'full lines in Fig. I, wherein it allows the back member 19 to occupy an inclined position, and this filler 22 may be moved downwardlyto the position shown by dotted lines to retain the back member in its vertical position. hen the filed sheets are to be inspected, the

'hin 'ed filler 22 is placed in the elevated po-' sition shown in Fig. I. Before closing the receptacle, the filler 22 is shifted downwardly about the axis of its hin e 23, to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig I, and the follower F is then adjusted along the rods 13 to secure the filed sheets in the compact condition 1 indicated by dot and dash lines in Fig. I.

The tiltable back memberQQat the rear of the filed sheets is adjustablysupported by a pair of corrugated retaining devices 2i, each having a series of recesses adapted to receive a leg 20 at the lower edge ofthe back member 20. IVhen the filed sheets are separated for. manipulation, as shown in Fig. I, the back member 20 is tilted rearwardly and engaged with the follower F, thus retaining a body of the sheets in an inclined condition so that the sheet at the front of the collection may be readily manipulated. It

will be noted that the follower F may be adjusted to compensate for variations in the dimensions of the collection of filed sheets,

I and the tiltable back member 20 may be ad justed along the corrugated members 24 to a predetermined position with respect to the adjustable follower. i

The lower edges of the filed sheets are slidably fitted to a supporting device which consists of a pair of tracks 25 adapted'to be engaged by the lower edges of the sheets. As shown in Fig. I, each of the tracks is inclined downwardly in opposite directions from a point near the transverse center line of the receptacle, the object being to firmly support-"the separated bodies of sheets in 9 oppositely inclined positions. This holds the separated sheets away from each other and retains them in desirable positions for inspection.

The tracks 25 have ribs 26 (Fig. III) adapted to enter notches in the lower edges of the sheets. Each sheet is provided with a pair of notches 27, so'that it may be shifted to the rightfrom the position shown in Fig. III, and then seated on the ribs 26. This allows any selected sheet to be placed in an abnormal position for future reference.

'I' claim 1. A file box comprising a receptacle for the matter to be filed, a closure for said receptacle, a hinge for said closure, and a closure guide associated with said hinge and arranged to allow the closure to move transversely to the axis of the hinge, said closure being movable upwardly from its 4 closed position, about the axis of the hinge,

slidably fitted to said hinge member so as to allow the closure to move upwardly about the axis of said hinge mcmber and then ably fitted to said hinge members, said guide rods being arranged at a right angle to the axis of the'hinge members, and a closure secured to said guide rods.

6. A file box comprising a receptacle for the sheets-to be filed, a follower adjustably mounted in said receptacle, a tiltable back member arranged to lie between said follower and the filed sheets, and a retaining device to which said tiltable back member is adjustably secured, said tiltable back member being movable toward and away from said follower and adjustable to difi'erent positions along said retaining device.

7. A file box comprising a receptacle for the sheets to be filed, a followeradjustably mounted insaid receptacle, a tiltable back member. arranged to lie between said follower and the filed sheets, and a retaining device having a row of recesses adapted to receive the lower edge of said tiltable back member, the latter being adjustable from one recess to another, and said tiltable back member being free to swing toward said follower to form an inclined supporting ele- -ment for the filed sheets.

8. A file box comprising a receptacle for the sheets to be filed, a follower adjustably mounted in said receptacle, a tiltable back member arranged to lie between said follower and the filed sheets, and corrugated retaining members arranged below the plane of the filed sheets and adapted to receive the lower edge of said tiltable back member, the latter being adjustable along said corrugated retaining members and also free to swing toward said follower to form an inclined supporting element for the filed sheets. v

9. A file box comprising a receptacle for the sheets to be filed, a pair of tiltable back members arranged in said receptacle, said tiltable back members being so arranged that the filed sheets will be confined between them, a hinge securing the lower edge of one of said tiltable back members to said receptacle, the other tiltable back member being adjustable to different positions tocompensate for variations in the dimensions of the body of filed sheets, and an adjustable follower fitted to the last mentioned back member.

10. A file box comprising a receptacle for the sheets to be filed, a tiltable back member arranged to form an inclined supporting element for the filed sheets, a filler associated with said tiltable back member, and a pivot supporting said filler, said filler being adapted to retain the tlltable back member in a substantially vertical position.

EDWARD F. BREDEHOFT. 

